The SJR produces timely updates and in-depth analysis on news and information of interests to Chinese in America and Americans in China.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Killing Yang Jia

According to the communism government, Chinese in China enjoy civil rights five times better than Americans in the US. When the Chinese version John Brown was captured, he would not be hanged immediately, but rather to receive not one fair trail, but two trails.

Beijing resident Yang Jia was accused of killing six Shanghai policemen with a knife is a heavily guarded police headquarter in Shanghai. The ordeal started when Yang was wrongly imprisoned and tortured by Shanghai police after a routine traffic (bicycle) stop, because the Shanghai policeman suspected Yang was riding a stolen bike. After being released, Yang started an endeavor of complaining about his treatment while detained by the Shanghai police. Yang raised enough noise, that Shanghai police sent two officers to Beijing to negotiate a settlement. It is alleged that Yang's penis was badly beaten, and Yang suffered from erection problems. Shanghai offered to pay RMB 1000 ($170), but no apology. Yang asked RMB $3000 ($500) plus an apology, and Yang was not willing to bargain.

By and large, people from Beijing look down on people from Shanghai. Shanghainese were seen with a stereotype of being greedy, dishonest but with no courage. Being badly beaten by Shanghainese, regardless of how many of them are there or whether they are policemen, is a shame too heavy to bear for a Beijing resident. After months of complaining going nowhere, Yang decided to take things into his own hands.

Yang appeared in the gateway of police headquarter, with a gas mask covering his face. He throw a Molotov cocktail to the garden, which attracted the attention of securities, then entered the building. Yang stabbed 3 policemen on the first floor, then went up fire stairs to the 21st floor to killed 3 more police. The first floor was occupied by the unit who wrongly detained Yang, and the 21st floor was occupied by the unit who tortured Yang afterward. One innocent police was killed on the 18th floor when he accidentally used the fire stairs assuming the building was on fire. In the whole process, Yang made sure he did not hurt anyone not wearing a uniform, and he did not hurt any female officers.

Yang surrendered after having done his business. There's no chance of leaving alive anyway, surrounded by thousands of Shanghai policemen on 21st floor. Yang knew he would be sentenced to death according to Chinese laws, but he had a bigger plan, that was to disclose his suffering under detainment of Shanghai police to the world in the trail. It turned out to be the mission impossible.

Yang didn't know that one of the police officer who beat him was a relative of Mr. Wu Zhiming, the top police in Shanghai, and a senior official of CCP. Wu Zhiming is the niece of Mr. Jiang Zeming, the former Party boss of China.

The country was told seven cops were killed, but it was not told that was because of crime involved another policeman, who happened to be a family member of senior CCP Party leader. In order to hide the truth, the entire justice system was kidnapped.

Shanghai police kidnapped Yang Jia's mother from her Beijing residence under day light. It was such an bazaar scene. Yang's relatives protested to the local Beijing police station. Beijing police was so annoyed at first that they asked Shanghai police to return the lady through a statement issued to a press. Shanghai police then announced that Yang's mother appointed a lawyer for Yang, who is also Shanghai police's in house counsel. Yang's mother was not to be seen, until today. Many prominent lawyers in Beijing sued the Shanghai police for kidnapping Yang's mother, and sued Beijing police for not protecting a Beijing resident from being kidnapped under bright daylight. Many influential writers published open letter condemning the kidnapping, to no vein. It is just bazaar.

The trail was supposed to be open, but conducted secretly by a Shanghai court. Several dozens of Beijing lawyers rushed to Shanghai was denied by the Shanghai court. The trail was supposed to be announced at least three days in advance according to Chines law, but was not. Even Yang's father was not allowed to attend the trail, citing space limitation.

Yang was sentenced to death in the first trail by Shanghai Second Middle Court on Sept 1st, 2008, which Yang appealed. The second trail, which would be the ultimate trail in Chinese law, drew even more controversy. Again, the defense lawyer was named by the court, who acted as one of the prosecution in the trail. Again even more lawyers invited by the Yang family was denied by the court. Still, Yang's mother is detained by unknown agency at undisclosed location. What's more, supporters who peacefully rallies outside the court from all over the country was arrested and jailed. Those who are Shanghai residents had their home searched, and property confiscated.

It would be easier to comprehend the bazaar behavior of Shanghai justice system, if the case was about national interest, or in the least about any metropolitan interest. However, it's all about a policeman, who is alleged a family member of a CCP official. Does it worth it?

Yang is sentenced to death, as expected. But why does it necessary to murder a prisoner in such a bazaar manner that the entire justice system was thrown in? What kind of a signal is sending out by murdering Yang, with the full strength of the Party?

On any given day, dozens if not hundreds of innocent people died from police brutality in every corner of China. Some day some one will say enough is enough.

"[...] Politically speaking, the murder of John Brown would be an uncorrectable sin. It would create in the Union a latent fissure that would in the long run dislocate it. Brown's agony might perhaps consolidate slavery in Virginia, but it would certainly shake the whole American democracy. You save your shame, but you kill your glory. Morally speaking, it seems a part of the human light would put itself out, that the very notion of justice and injustice would hide itself in darkness, on that day where one would see the assassination of Emancipation by Liberty itself. [...]

Let America know and ponder on this: there is something more frightening than Cain killing Abel, and that is Washington killing Spartacus."

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